Spectators at Wednesday’s match in Moscow booed and whistled the Croatia centre back, after a video posted online earlier in the week showed Vida, a former player with Ukrainian club side Dynamo Kiev, saying “Glory to Ukraine!”.
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The video once more shows Vida saying “glory to Ukraine” as well as “Belgrade’s burning” with former Croatia player and current staff member Ivica Olic next to him.
Former Croatia international Vukojevic, who had been working as a coaching assistant, recorded a video with defender Domagoj Vida after the game in which both men dedicated the Croatia’s victory to Ukraine – a clear reference to the country’s long-running political conflict with Russia that centres on the disputed territory of Crimea.
The five-time European champions were made to dig deep prior to their breakthrough goal shortly before half time, though they went on to add four more goals to their tally ahead of next month’s needless second leg